OnePlus 5G smartphone release date, rumours and features

OnePlus typically announces two smartphones a year - a standard model and a "T" model. This is expected to change for 2019 though after several reports have suggested the Chinese company is planning to launch an entirely new line of devices to complement the existing range.

The OnePlus 7 is the next device expected from the current portfolio, likely to be released around May 2019, but rumours have suggested we will see a smartphone from the new range launch beforehand. This is expected to be one of the first 5G smartphones. Here is everything we know so far.

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, joined Qualcomm's President Cristiano Amon on stage during a mobile data summit in Hong Kong back in October 2018 and claimed OnePlus will be one of the first, if not the first, manufacturer to come to market with a 5G phone. Amon said the first device to support the Snapdragon X50 5G modem will appear in the first quarter of 2019.

Wiebo

Prior to the launch of the OnePlus 6T, which took place at the end of October 2018, an image appeared on Weibo of a calendar with a OnePlus logo in the top right, marking 15 January as a date for something. What would take place wasn't detailed but it could be plausible to suggest it might be when we see a OnePlus 5G device. That said, we are now well into January and no further information has appeared so we suspect the date meant nothing.

In terms of price, Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus has said the OnePlus 7 will come in both 4G and 5G models, with the 5G model estimated to cost between $200 to $300 more than the OnePlus 6T, which starts at £499. Lau didn't mention the new line of devices, but we'd still expect the price to be higher than the OnePlus 6T as you often pay a price for adopting early.

OnePlus 5G design

Flagship design expected

Whilst there is a good indication as to when we might be able to expect the OnePlus 5G phone, not much is currently known about what it might look like. It has been referred to as a flagship range of smartphones so we'd expect high-end specifications to appear.

A premium design and build, a good screen-to-body ratio, an under-display fingerprint sensor are all features we would expect to see appearing on the new flagship line.

A spokesperson for OnePlus told Cnet Spain that the range would complement the existing range of OnePlus devices but it is not yet clear whether this means it will sit above or below the current OnePlus smartphones.

@IshanAgarwal24 (Twitter)

An unreleased OnePlus handset did appear in the hands of CEO Pete Lau in an image posted on Twitter during a OnePlus briefing. The device shown was said to be in design stage and not final and it shows a rear with what appears to be a circular camera setup - similar to the latest Motorola devices. It is not yet clear whether this image shows the new line of OnePlus devices however as no further information was provided.

OnePlus 5G hardware

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip likely

Snapdragon X50 5G modem

As with the design, flagship hardware is also expected for the new range of OnePlus devices, assuming there is one and the company isn't just planning to launch a 5G version of the OnePlus 7 early.

OnePlus prides itself on offering the same hardware as other devices that are double the price so we'd expect the OnePlus 5G smartphone to deliver the same. Aside from 5G support, which will require the additional Snapdragon X50 5G modem, we'd expect to see the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 under the hood, coupled with at least 6GB of RAM.

OnePlus doesn't typically offer microSD, but as the first 5G device is said to be coming from the rumoured new range of handsets, perhaps microSD is a feature that will be included to differentiate the range from the current models.

There are no other hardware specifications as yet, but we will update this feature as soon as we hear more.